Home Your Reactions Contents Find it!ME. HEALTH CARE REFORM

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The Health of Mainer's
Is there a 'Crisis'?
Critical Issues
Government & Health care
Health Insurance
Small Business Self-Help
Guide to 'who's who'
Strengtening the 'SAFETY NET'

Whether you are just 'shopping' for the best health care options  for your business, or family or you want to participate in the Health Care debate; you will have to  become well-informed on nearly all aspects of this broad policy area. My WEB resource library just about covers all the key topics, and gives you summaries, shortcuts, pro/con analysis, and Factual Opinion you can rely on in debates. 

***HOT BUTTON ISSUE---Consumer Driven Health care

Now Mainers can access one of the hits of this year's SWISS EXPO...a detailed health kiosk that is both educational and focused on five critical health care problems:

MATHEMATICA STUDY ON FEASIBILITY OF A SINGLE PAYER HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM FOR MAINE IS OUT...see discussion on this page of issues & summary.

The Mathematica study of the feasibility of a single payer health insurance plan is being released in final form Feb. 4th. 

Under certain assumptions, using the forecasts in the four interrelated modules for population, state & Federal revenue, health care claims, and the state of the economy there is one  and possibly two single payer designs, IIIA, which might cost less than it is projected we will spend and meet the proposed set of services.

This study not only has a "Black Box" econometric model hidden in EXCEL spreadsheets, but has numerous assumptions, conditions, and data conclusions that must be met first. The Health Security group which is highly partisan towards single payer, has now broken into two factions divided over whether they should make a recommendation on this option to the Legislature. It will appear that there will be a majority and minority recommendation, as happened with the Blue Ribbon Task report on Health Care released last year. 

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Dave Flanagan's (former candidate for governor) "must read" policy paper for informed Maine voters. Affordable Healthcare Now, succinctly states the nature of the health care reform 'problem' & lives long beyond his campaign:

"What's Driving Up the Cost of Healthcare in Maine?

Health care costs are a complex problem because there is no single cause for their rapid explosion.  And when analyzing these costs, it is important to remember that the price tag includes many benefits to society and to the quality of individual lives.  The principal causes for health care inflation can be identified, as follows:

Rising costs of prescription drugs, medical supplies, and new technologies,

Rising provider costs due to decreasing competition and investments in new facilities,

General inflation,

Increased demand for services resulting from our aging population and little or no direct incentive for insured consumers to worry about the cost of treatments, procedures or drugs,

Litigation,

Fraud and abuse,

Inadequate numbers of trained health care professionals, and

Maine's rural and sprawling population requiring more medical facilities to ensure reasonable access"

8/20/2002...BUSH administration moves to strengthen employer provided health insurance & Medical Saving's Accounts. Postal Union now offers medical saving's accounts to workers in Maine.
HEALTH CARE POLICY AT A CROSSROADS, May 1, 2002, by Josiah Bartlett Center in N.H. and Notre Dame College. Share the historical perspective of the US's 1st Insurance Commission!  Understand why New Hampshire government is often less expensive and more effective than Maine's. 
What are the "Benchmarks" on the 'health' of Mainers. Where do you find them?  Disease and other health trends drive changes in the health care industry. 
Explanations of the health care puzzle by policy analysts, reform groups of various kinds, and public policy think tanks like the Galen Institute. There are many viewpoints and long standing reform efforts that you can 'cherry pick' from, if you understand how the system does and doesn't work.
Who's Who in Maine Health Care and what does the playing field look like? Photo of Speaker Saxl
Rep. Mike Saxl(D), House Majority leader, has taken a key role despite being termed out. LD 1784, An Act to Lower Costs in the Small Group Market, aims "to create an innovative program to help use federal dollars,  administrative efficiency, and market power to offer a low cost alternative to the current offerings in the small group 
Other legislators have also become 'expert in health care matters. They include:
Rick Bennett, (R) ; Art Mayo (R); 
Maine Coalition for Affordable Health Care(1-800-838-0388) is made up of social & human service organizations, labor unions, and senior citizen lobbyists. 
Maine Hospital Association
Anthem.
How can a Small Business Owner become a 'smart' analyst of their health care costs and trends?...thinking like the big guys. What about industry benchmarks kept by the Maine Health Information Center?
Why aren't new Health Insurance companies available in Maine when they compete in most other states? Skeptical?  Well,  Go here, and press 'Maine'  
Perhaps you need to re-conceptualize exactly what an insurance company is designed to do and see how 'routine care & maintenance' is very different from assigned risks to unusual health events. DESTINY HEALTH INSURANCE is a South African company that insures over one million Chicago workers. They are a favorite of labor unions and management.
Canada's Health Care System is in CRISIS mode! 

Costs are skyrocketing; services and adequacy of care is under constant attack; some provinces spend over 60% of budget on health care with no end in sight; political fights between education and health lobbies presage similar fights in U.S.; Federal share of MEDICARE system has dropped to 60% while Private and self pay are increasing; provinces in B.C. and Alberta are privatizing facilities and closing hospitals. It's a real mess and Canadian media are full of accounts about the dismal future of what was once Canada's pride and joy. 

Maine State Government is HYDRA-Headed monster, with its conflicting roles of regulator, service provider, insurer, and negotiator of superior health insurance policies for unionized public sector workers, i.e. teachers. 
Issue: Has a union-controlled State Legislature created a new elite who won't give up their extensive benefits under a new single-payer plan with a benefit level of Medicaid or Medicare?  
Who is paying for what and why is the Robert Wood Johnson foundation role funding so many lobbyists in violation of their charter as a non profit? 
What are the key issues?...Is Canada's single payer plan really that good? What is useful about the studies for Vermont's Single Payer plan? Where are the flaws in the Vermont Single Payer Plan? 
A discussion of critical Issues, i.e. the "UNINSURED"---who are they; why are they such important 'bargaining chip's in the public debate; just how many of them don't need health insurance because they 'self-pay' or simply don't get sick; how many would lose health benefits under a single payer plan; etc. 
 Other Alternatives to consider:...the FREE CLINIC safety net that works so well in other states; preventative care, studies of the healthy who self pay, and much more. Each Alternative will be highlighted in an appropriate section and indexed.

Recent Media Coverage of GLOBAL VILLAGE LEARNING

Lessons from Maine:  Education Vouchers for Students since 1873. CATO INSTITUTE BRIEFING PAPER, #66. Sept. 10, 2001